Archives for August 2011

When I first started running, I felt so overwhelmed. I was ashamed I couldn’t run more than a minute at a time and embarrassed about who was looking at me, judging me, staring at me. It took years of me fighting on my healthiness journey to get to where I am now, where I feel like I’m a true runner.

A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of having dinner with Shauna at FitBloggin’. Shauna, if you don’t know, is the famous Shauna behind The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl. Shauna shared with me about a new community she had created with her friend, Julia. Up & Running provide kickass running e-courses for women, created by Shauna “Dietgirl” Reid and her running coach friend Julia Jones. If you thought running was reserved for sporty types with bouncy ponytails, they’ll help you discover that running is for everyone. Their acclaimed 5K Beginners Course and new 10K Course aren’t the usual boring “walk 5 mins, run 5 minutes” programs. You get expert coaching from Julia, unlimited support, vibrant community forums and a mind and body approach that’s been tried and tested with thousands of women around the world. It is about community – which, if you’ve been ’round these parts of PriorFatGirl, you KNOW I love me some community!

How is this course different from all the free programs out there?

We get you running safely. We not only work on getting you running, we teach you how to take care of your body and become in tune and aware of it as you run.

We prepare your mind and body for running. This is most important part. We help you to set goals and understand your motivation for wanting to start running. We show you how to make it happen. Remember, real running starts in your mind, then your body will follow.

Personal support. We won’t just hand you a list of instructions then abandon you! You’ll get unlimited support on our community forums, where we’ll be on hand to answer all of your questions.

You’re part of a team. You’ll have virtual training partners in the form of your fellow Up & Running coursemates. Together you’ll be working towards the ultimate goal of completing the Up & Running Virtual race in the last week of the course.

When does the next course begin?

The next 5K Beginners Course starts on Monday 5 September and the 10k course starts Thursday 8 September.Registration is now open!

In her e-mail, Kori offered to send me a few Champion items to get me through my gym time sans wardrobe malfunctions and looking cute in the process. I couldn’t say no to that!

Not gonna lie, I figured I’d get, like, a tank top or something and I’d be a happy camper! Instead, check out what I ACTUALLY received from Kori:

That's a pretty big box for one tank top!

Unveiling of The Goods

Cue Angels Singing!

She definitely hooked me up with more than one tank top. In fact, I’m pretty sure the pieces she sent me equal more workout attire than I’ve ever owned in my entire life! I felt like a kid on Christmas when I opened up the box and I couldn’t wait to play dress up!

Of course, in the time that Kori’s sent me these items, I’ve had a chance to try everything on and give almost everything a test run at the gym. Here comes the fun part, my review of the products! 🙂

Champion Double Dry® Workout Pants

The Look: These pants are obviously adorable. Truth be told, I’ve never been big on working out in pants, I’m more of a capris kind of girl.The Feel: The Double Dry fabric is stretchy, but light weight.The Fit: These pants fit awesome! The only little drawback (for me) is they seem to be a little short. They may not actually be short, I just like my pants looooong. I always buy “talls” when it comes to length, and I am by no means TALL. I’m 5’5 – I just like ’em long!Overall: These workout pants are a win in my book – perfect for Zumba!

Champion SHAPE™ FITTED Women's Smoothing Knee Pants

The Look: Pretty standard, fitted capris. I typically buy capris that are fitted through the hip and thigh and looser on the knee – there babies are tight all the way down. A new look for me.The Feel: Smooth, comfy feeling fabric. They feel heavier than the previous workout pants, probably due to the panels. No tags to annoy the crap out of you… yay!The Fit: Because these are SHAPE™ capris, the fit is pretty tight. There is a panel in the belly to “hold everything in”, I suppose. While they weren’t terrible, they are definitely tighter than I typically like to go at the gym. I’d never wear these with a tighter shirt on top, because no doubt I’d be sporting a muffin top! 😉Overall: Don’t love ’em, don’t hate ’em. I DO wear these – maybe I’ll wear them even more when I don’t have such a muffin. 🙂

Champion Reversible Mesh Women's Shorts

The Look: Stinkin’ adorable! LOVE that they are reversible!The Feel: Mesh fabric, super light weight.The Fit: These fit great! Whenever I wear these, I feel like I should go play basketball.. then I remember that I’m not so good. 😉Overall: One of my favorite piece Kori sent, for sure. They are super comfortable and I feel like they can be worn both in and out of the gym without looking like I was too lazy to put on “real clothes” – that’s a win in my book!

Champion Double Dry® RELAXED 4" Women's Sport Shorts

Champion Double Dry® RELAXED 4" Women's Sport Shorts

The above shorts are the same, Kori just sent me them in a couple of different sizes to be sure I found a good fit.

The Look: Cute, obvs. 🙂 These shorts always make me feel like I’m a runner. These are typical runner’s shorts and when I put them on, I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon…. ok, that’s a lie, these shorts aren’t miracle workers – but I do feel like I LOOK like a runner in these! 😉The Feel: Lightweight, smooth Double Dry fabric. No sweaty butt in these babies!The Fit: Both sizes actually DO fit me in the waist. The purple-ish ones are XL and the blue ones are XXL. Right now, I wear the blue ones more – just because I feel like there is more room in the thighs.. and I have some thunder thighs… so more room is always a good thing! 😉 I DO wear the purple ones though if the blue ones are dirty.Overall: Another one of my favorites from Kori! I rarely wore shorts to the gym because of chub-rub on the thighs. BUT, these are long enough to prevent that, so they have become a staple in my workout wardrobe. AND they come with the built in undies – which I think is so cool! It’s the little things for this girl. 😉

Champion SHAPE™ Women's Smoothing Long Top with Inner Sports Bra

The Look: Super cute, typical racer back tank. A staple for the gym.The Feel: The fabric is thick. Again, probably because of the SHAPE panels that it has to smooth everything out.The Fit: This was one piece that just did not work – FOR ME. Because of the shaping this tank has, it runs small – it was TIGHT. One of those things where once I got it on, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get it off! Picture this: I put it on, barely. Feel like an over stuff sausage. Attempt to take it off….. and I get stuck. Seriously. My sister had to help me lift it over my head, that’s how tight it was!Overall: This tank is my normal size, an XL – but it was just TOO tight for comfort. Something I can’t wear at the gym and feel comfortable at this point in my journey. This one’s a no-go for me. Maybe after I lose some poundage? I was super bummed because it IS adorable!

Champion Double Dry® Women's Workout Tank Top

The Look: Cute, cute, cute! upon opening the box, this item was probably my favorite, looks-wise because.. well, it’s just so cute!The Feel: Again, light weight Double Dry fabric. It feels almost silky. And the fabric wicks moisture away for comfort.The Fit: A great fit! This was the first piece I gave a test run at the gym and I fell in love! It stayed in place, didn’t ride up, and kept me feeling cool (temperature-wise too! Haha!)Overall: Love it! This one has also become a staple in my workout wardrobe. I want it in every color – hint, hint Kori! 😉 Haha! This one is also an XL and fits perfect, unlike the SHAPE tank top above.

Champion Double Dry® Training Women's Tank Top

The Look: I wasn’t blown away by the look of this tank. It’s not ugly by any means, I just wouldn’t say it’s adorable. It’s just… a tank top.The Feel: Light weight moisture-wicking fabric.The Fit: This one didn’t quite fit me right. I’m not sure what it is. It fit fine throughout “the girls” and my trouble area – my tummy. But underneath my arms, it was just really baggy. Lots of room in the armpit area – I’d show off a lot of bra wearing this one.Overall: I’m neutral on this one. It’s not something I can’t live without. It may just be my body type as to why this one isn’t an ideal fit. I do like it enough though that I’m going to have my grandma put some darts in under the pits so it’s more fitted like it should be. Hopefully that’ll solve the problem!

Champion 360° Max Support® Sports Bra

The Look: So cute! Excited to see sports bras in my size that AREN’T only black or white!The Feel: Thicker fabric – lined for no show through – if ya know what I mean. 😉 The sides are mesh for air flow.The Fit: This actually fit pretty good – which surprised me because when you *ahem* “blessed” with a larger top, it can be quite difficult to find ANY bra that fits right, let alone a sports bra!Overall: I really like this one. The only drawback is it SAYS “Max Support” and I don’t know if I’d quite agree. Again, it may be because I’m larger on top.. but I don’t think I’d wear this one for say… running.

Champion Powersleek® Sports Bra

The Look: Pretty standard. I do really like the straps in that they are regular as opposed to racer back to accommodate some of my non-racer back workout tanks.The Feel: The feel is similar to the above bra. Thicker fabric, but not too heavy. A little modesty never hurt no one. 😉The Fit: This one isn’t an ideal fit for me. I feel like for me, there is a lot of “side-boob” going on. I have fuller cups, so I guess let’s just say it’s typical for my cups to runneth over. 😉Overall: Not on my “favorites” list – but I can work with it. Again, would probably not utilize this bra for running, I just don’t feel THAT secure in it.

Champion Double Dry+™ Spot Comfort™ Full-Support Sports Bra

The Look: Pink! In love with the color.The Feel: Feels about the same as the first two bras. To me, this one feels a little more light weight… but who knows, I could be crazy.The Fit: AWESOME fit! I also LOVE the straps on this one, they are like heaven on my shoulders. They don’t dig in, they don’t leave marks – according to the website, they are “gel-cushioned” straps… and I love them. Another major plus…? NO uni-boob with this bra! Woo hoo!Overall: Definitely a favorite of mine. Very comfortable and cute. I’ve run wearing this, went to Zumba wearing this. The ladies stay in place.. and that’s the most important thing. 🙂

So there ya have it! I was seriously HOOKED UP and I could not be more grateful. As I said in my reviews… some pieces worked.. and some didn’t – and that’s ok. Not every single thing is going to be perfect for every body. I found some definite winners in the bunch.

The Even MORE Fun Part…..

Kori and HanesBrands have agreed to hook up one lucky reader with a WHOLE outfit! That’s right… sports bra, top, AND bottoms! How generous are they!?

To enter leave a comment on this post letting me know what your biggest workout woe is when it comes to workout attire and/or why you need a new work out outfit

I can’t wait to read your responses and to chose a lucky winner! I hope you’re having a GREAT day.

Lastly.. here are some pictures of some of the items in action… kind of. 😉

Favorite new tank!

Is that a runner...? AND a slight hint of a collar bone...?! 😉

Good luck!! 🙂

Fine Print:One comment/entry per person. Entries must be received by Saturday, September 3rd @ 11:59pm CST — winner will be drawn at random and will be announced on Tuesday, September 6th. Hanes Brand has provided me with previously mentioned products to sample in exchange for an honest review of provided products. All opinions expressed are my own.

A loss of .2 from last week – which is exactly what I wanted…to maintain my weight from last week. Now my goal for next week will be to weigh in at 155.7 which is about a half pound. I’m all about taking it slow and steady! Good news, I made it through this past weekend with no binge. Reflecting back on things I did which could have helped, I woke up both days and hit the gym right away. That isn’t out of the ordinary though so I’m not confident that’s what helped prevent a binge. It isn’t just that I didn’t binge this past weekend but that the feeling of wanting.craving.needing to eat diminished to what I would consider is somewhat normal for me. My choices were still conscious but I wasn’t fighting with myself.

I got some easy-to-grab-n-go veggies from Trader Joe’s this week to help make sure I have something quick & easy to eat. Does anyone have any fun recipes for a broccoli slaw salad?

My working out has been pretty good the past two months – I’ve gotten at least four workout days a week since the beginning of July and most recently have gotten five days a week for the past couple weeks. To go with my Polar HRM, I have a Polar Flowlink that syncs my data up online. I love being able to look at all my workouts on a fun calendar to see how I’m doing with things.

July(click to enlarge)

August(click to enlarge)

If you notice above, there are a couple lower calorie days which are days I’ve been doing solely weight lifting. Other days, I’ll do weight lifting + cardio and even other days where it is just cardio. Most of my cardio has been running but I’m really trying to keep it balanced. Note the August calendar doesn’t yet have my data for this mornings workout loaded.

My first meeting with my new therapist last week went well but was basically me talking for an entire hour about my “story.” Tonight we are meeting to talk more about my goals with therapy. I’ve been trying to think of what my goals are and here is what I have:

Continue to work on fighting through binges (it’s been a while since I had one but I struggle with the feelings a lot)

Find ways to not feel so overwhelmed with life

Work to better allow myself to feel emotions (I tend to skip right into justifying or rationalizing events and often skip over really actually feeling things)

Strive for a “healthy” relationship with food (eat to live vs. live to eat)

I feel like I should have some more goals or I’m missing something obvious but I guess it is a start. I look forward to digging in deep so we’ll see how things progress from here. If you were in therapy for eating, what would your goal(s) be?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed my journey has continued to evolve, especially when it comes to my eating. I’ve talked about before how my eating before I embarked on my healthiness journey was mainly processed foods, eating out, canned or boxed meals and anything but fresh. When I started to really work on my healthiness, I relied on a lot of low fat, low calorie and sugar free foods. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am confident I needed to rely on them to help with my transition. This past November, I mentioned I was making another transition. I wrote:

“I’m ready to step out of the comfort of…

Low fat

Fat free

Sugar free

Low calorie

Calorie free

You heard that right — I’ve decided to break up with scientifically engineered foods and concentrate on eating food not made in a laboratory.”

I shopped at a local co-op for 6 months straight, purchasing non-processed foods. Organic. No added preservatives. No chemicals. All that jazz. I refused to buy certain things because I couldn’t find non-processed versions. I spent twice as long at the grocery store walking around frustrated because things I enjoyed weren’t there and instead, there was some mock version left in its place. And worse yet, I’d get home with a twice than normal grocery bill only to realize “organic” and “non-processed” doesn’t mean “healthy” or “good for you.”

And then, right around the time the tornado hit, Carlos started to ask questions.

What’s the point of shopping at the co-op?

Why does it have to be so expensive?

Can’t we just eat normal?

Can’t eating just a balance?

His questions got me thinking. What was I trying to achieve? My original goal was…

“My goal is to incorporate foods that do not have a majority of its ingredients developed in a lab.”

So why did I have to start shopping at a co-op? Why did I have to give up products I really liked? Wasn’t there some balance to be found in my journey? While the kitchen was out of commission for the better part of the summer, I realized I could have my cake and eat it too… kind of. Since that November post, I’m proud to say veggies are now a staple in my diet. I have gone back to grocery shopping at “regular” stores and spend most of my time in the produce section picking out fruits and veggies for the week. I hit the meat section and then the dairy section. Lastly, I spend about 7 minutes in all the other isles grabbing a few staple items and them I’m outta there! I leave feeling balanced and proud of my choices.

And true to my original intent back in November, I’ve found my balance.

My favorite thing about my journey? Is knowing companies like Coffee-Mate are beginning to provide options for people like me who want balance. I shared with you a couple months ago, Coffee-Mate has officially released their line of Natural Bliss.

Now you can enhance the coffee flavor you love with Coffee-mate Natural Bliss, a new all-natural dairy creamer made with only milk, cream, a touch of sugar and pure natural flavor. Flavors like sweet cream, vanilla and caramel add just the right touch of sweetness and delicious flavor for your perfect cup every time. Like us on Facebook for offers, news and more!

Four ingredients. That’s it, that’s all. The sound of the coffee pot gurgling as it works hard to brew up a pot of coffee, the steam spewing out of the top of the coffee machine. My coffee cup nestled up next to the coffee maker waiting to be filled with a sweet mixture of coffee and Natural Bliss. Coffee with Natural Bliss is my smile in the morning.

I’m proud that I’ve found my balance and it works for me. I’m proud that I have settled into a pretty good habit of eating 75% fresh produce, lean meats, whole grains and non-processed foods and that companies like Coffee-Mate support my balanced choices.

To my friends at Coffee-Mate, thank you for
being a part of my balanced healthy lifestyle!

Have you tried Coffee-Mate’s Natural Bliss yet?

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by COFFEE-MATE via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of COFFEE-MATE.

How this all got started…

PriorFatGirl started in August of 2007. For two years Jen, a priorfatgirl fought, kicked and cried her way through losing 90+lbs. She was well on her way to hitting an official 100lbs lost by August 1st, 2009 which was her 2 year anniversary. She was planning a big ‘ol celebration around here… until her life changed the evening before her final weigh-in. (Click here for more info).

In the years since, additional women have joined and share their journey in finding healthiness in an unhealthy world. Currently, posts on the main page are written by Liz, who is working through her healthiness journey. Click on "Other PriorFatGirl's" from the menu bar to follow along on their journeys!